Earth

About the film

Earth (released in India as 1947: Earth) is a 1998 Indo-Canadian period romance drama film directed by Deepa Mehta. It is based upon Bapsi Sidhwa's novel, Cracking India (1991, US; 1992, India; originally published as Ice Candy Man, 1988, UK), set during the 1947 partition of India. Earth is the second instalment of Mehta's Elements trilogy, preceded by Fire (1996) and followed by Water (2005). It was India's entry for the 1999 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Plot

The story is set in Lahore (now the capital of Pakistani Punjab) in the period directly before and during the partition of India in 1947 at the time of Indian independence.

A young girl with polio, Lenny, narrates the story through the voice of her adult self. She is from a wealthy Parsi family who hope to remain neutral to the rising tensions between Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims in the area. She is adored and protected by her parents, Bunty and Rustom, and cared for by her Hindu Ayah, named Shanta. Both Dil Navaz (also known as the Ice-Candy Man) and Hassan (the Masseur) are in love with Shanta. Shanta, Dil, and Hassan are part of a small group of friends from different faiths (some of whom work for Lenny's family) who spend their days together in the park. With the violence of partition, however, this once unified group of friends becomes divided and tragedy ensues.

The movie's turning point occurs when Dil waits for his sisters at the train station, only to find massacred refugees inside the arriving "ghost train." This sight radicalizes Dil's character, who grows hateful towards Hindus and Sikhs.

Critical reception

The film holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 35 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and states that Earth "is effective because it doesn't require much history from its viewers, explains what needs to be known, and has a universal message". The New York Times described it as "a powerful and disturbing reminder of how a civilization can suddenly crack under certain pressures". The New Yorker argues that "Deepa Mehta handles her material convincingly, and the cast is so likable that they wear the larger themes like beautiful garments". Rediff.com notes that "Aamir Khan has probably given the best performance of his life. It is hard to imagine another actor bringing alive the nuances of the ice-candy man the way he does".

Filmfare Best Male Debut Award – Rahul Khanna

Filmfare Best Female Debut Award – Nandita Das

Key details